Modelling of thermal response of oil-heated tools due to different flow rates for the manufacture of composite structures

Aimed at optimising the heat-transfer process during the cure of resin, a series of numerical simulations on thermal responses of an oil-heated tool for the manufacture of composite structures were performed and results of the study were discussed by authors [Compos. Struct. 47 (1999) 491]. There it was found that the temperature response and distribution of the tool was highly dependent on the oil flow rate. Hence, control of thermal response of an oil-heated tool might be achieved by controlling the flow rate of the oil. To verify the numerical simulations, an oil-heating test rig was built at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Monash University, Australia, and a series of experimental investigations using different flow rates of the thermal oil of BP product ¯ Transcal-N ¯ were conducted. The results of the experimental study presented in this report were found to be in a very good agreement with the results of corresponding numerical simulations. Based on these findings, analytical and empirical models were developed to describe the heat-transfer process using oil-heated tools, including the time period of the transient heat transfer and the maximum temperature of the tools. The results predicted by the alternative models agreed well with those from the experimental and numerical investigations.